The World's Billionaires

#721 Ramesh Chandra

03.10.10, 06:00 PM EST

His Unitech, India's second largest property firm, survived its near-death experience in 2008 when it almost buckled under a mountain of debt and jittery investors battered company's stock price to an all-time low.

Indian Tech, Bachelor of Arts / Science; U of South Hampton, Master of Science

Marital Status:

Married, 2 children

His Unitech, India's second largest property firm, survived its near-death experience in 2008 when it almost buckled under a mountain of debt and jittery investors battered company's stock price to an all-time low. Since then, company has raised over $1billion through a private placement and sale of assets, including a hotel and an office building, to help pay off expensive debt. It launched Unihomes, a range of low-cost apartments, which boosted sales. Is also expanding outside New Delhi, notably in Mumbai where it is redeveloping a suburban slum. Its Unitech Wireless, in which Norway's Telenor has two-thirds stake, launched mobile phone services under the brand Uninor.